Page 10 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, March 27, 2020 Malden High School’s 80th Annual Junior Varieties Show a smash hit HOSTS WITH THE MOST: Danny Gilligan and Brianna Preston go “All 1980s Workout Video” mode in this skit at Junior Varieties. (Steve Freker Photo) By Steve Freker W hen you think about “tradition” and Malden High School (MHS), many people, events and other remembrances flood the minds of the many thousands of students, educators and administrators who have passed through the school’s hallowed doors through the years. Whether it’s a special teacher who helped illuminate the connection between that classwork and the “real world” outside on Salem Street, or that big project that you worked on with your classmates that earned accolades and richly deserved “well-done” from your peers and mentors, it’s all etched in the fabric of the overall recall of most for their Malden High years. Recently one of the longest-running traditions in school and city history celebrated its 80th birthday when the Malden High School Class of 2021 produced this year’s version of Junior Varieties. Many former MHS alumni carry fond and favorites memories of either participating in or simply being in the audience savoring the performances of their high school friends and peers. A handful of MHS alumni serving as educators or administrators in the Malden Public Schools, including Superintendent John Oteri, himself a 1982 Malden High graduate, remember their participation in Junior Varieties, whether as a performer, or in Supt. Oteri’s case, a member of the stage crew at the 41st Junior Varieties show in 1981. An eclectic mix of music, both instrumental and vocal, dance routines and some running skit comedy, the MHS Junior Varieties show has been wowing packed crowds since 1940. Not only is it one of the longest-running traditions in Malden, it is also one of the oldest such high school shows in consecutive years in the nation, surpassed on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States only by Cony High School of Augusta, Me., whose “Chizzle Wizzle” has been performed for 125 consecutive years. Junior Varieties, traditionally produced by each year’s MHS junior class, is the single-largest fundraiser for a high school class, with proceeds primarily going to defray the cost of the Senior Prom, which could run well into the $100-plus range otherwise. In past years, the performances were limited to members of the junior class, but that has changed in recent years to include all students who “make the cut” at Junior Varieties auditions. Auditions are held in January, and those selected engage in many rehearsal sessions SHOW | SEE PAGE 18
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